Rolling return to neutral depressable control

Abstract

A user actuated control which may include a base, roller, magnet, sensor and spring assembly. The roller may be movably connected to the base so as to allow rotational displacement between a neutral angle and a maximum angle and linear displacement between a neutral position and a depressed position. The magnet may be connected to the roller and the sensor may be connected to the base. The sensor may be configured to measure both the orientation and intensity of a magnetic field produced by the magnet and passing through the sensor. The spring assembly may be connected to the roller and the base and configured to exert a torque on the roller tending to return it to the neutral angle and the neutral position.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A user actuated control comprising:
 a base; 
 a roller movably connected to the base so as to allow rotational displacement between a neutral angle and a maximum angle and linear displacement between a neutral position and a depressed position; 
 a magnet connected to the roller, the magnet positioned to rotate with rotational displacement of the roller, the magnet positioned to linearly displace with linear displacement of the roller; 
 a sensor connected to the base, the sensor configured to measure both the orientation and intensity of a magnetic field produced by the magnet and passing through the sensor; 
 a spring assembly connected to the roller and the base, the spring assembly configured to exert a torque on the roller in the direction of the neutral angle when the roller is rotationally displaced from the neutral angle, the spring assembly configured to exert a force on the roller in the direction of the neutral position when the roller is linearly displaced from the neutral position; and 
 a shield positioned under the roller; 
 wherein:
 the roller is movably connected to the base so as to allow rotational displacement between a minimum angle and the neutral angle, the neutral angle positioned between the minimum angle and the maximum angle; and 
 the shield is configured to allow linear displacement of the roller to the depressed position when the roller is at the neutral angle, the shield is configured to block linear displacement of the roller to the depressed position at a first angle of the roller, the shield is configured to block linear displacement of the roller to the depressed position at a second angle of the roller, the first angle is between the maximum angle and the neutral angle, and the second angle is between the neutral angle and the minimum angle. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The control of  claim 1 , wherein the shield is configured to allow linear displacement of the roller to the depressed position when the roller is at the maximum angle and the shield is configured to allow linear displacement of the roller to the depressed position when the roller is at the minimum angle. 
     
     
       3. A user actuated control comprising:
 a base; 
 a roller positioned above the base and pivotally and slidably connected to the base about a pin disposed in a slot having a slot length; 
 a top stop positioned to block further linear displacement of the roller in a first linear direction when the roller is at a neutral position; 
 a bottom stop positioned to block further linear displacement of the roller in a second linear direction opposite the first linear direction when the roller is at a depressed position; 
 a front stop positioned to block further rotational displacement of the roller in a first rotational direction when the roller is at a maximum angle; 
 a rear stop positioned to block further rotational displacement of the roller in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction when the roller is at a minimum angle; 
 a magnet connected to the roller, the magnet positioned to rotate with rotational displacement of the roller, the magnet positioned to linearly displace with linear displacement of the roller; 
 a sensor connected to the base, the sensor configured to measure both the orientation and intensity of a magnetic field produced by the magnet and passing through the sensor; and 
 a spring assembly connected to the roller and the base, the spring assembly positioned to exert force on the roller in the first linear direction when the roller is at the depressed position, the spring assembly positioned to exert torque on the roller in the first rotational direction when the roller at the minimum angle, the spring assembly positioned to exert torque on the roller in the second rotational direction when the roller is at the maximum angle. 
 
     
     
       4. The control of  claim 3 , wherein the top stop is a portion of the slot at a first end of the slot in the direction of the slot length where the pin contacts the slot when the roller is at the neutral position and the bottom stop is a portion of the slot at a second end of the slot opposite the first end of the slot in the direction of the slot length where the pin contacts the slot when the roller is at the depressed position. 
     
     
       5. The control of  claim 3 , wherein the top stop is a portion of the slot at an end of the slot in the direction of the slot length where the pin contacts the slot when the roller is at the neutral position and the bottom stop is a portion of the base which contacts the roller when the roller is at the depressed position. 
     
     
       6. The control of  claim 3 , wherein the spring assembly is positioned to exert a first force on the roller in the first linear direction when the roller is at the depressed position, the spring assembly is positioned to exert the equivalent of a second force on a surface of the roller tangent to the surface in the first rotational direction when the roller is at the minimum angle, the spring assembly is positioned to exert the equivalent of a third force on the surface of the roller tangent to the surface in the second rotational direction when the roller is at the maximum angle, and the magnitude of the first force is greater than the magnitude of the second force and greater than the magnitude of the third force. 
     
     
       7. The control of  claim 3 , further comprising a shield positioned between the base and the roller, wherein the shield comprises a hole, the roller comprises a protrusion, and the protrusion is positioned within the hole when the roller is at the depressed position and the neutral angle. 
     
     
       8. The control of  claim 3 , further comprising a shield positioned between the base and the roller, wherein the shield comprises a first hole, a second hole, and a third hole, the roller comprises a protrusion, the protrusion is positioned within the first hole when the roller is at the depressed position and the neutral angle, the protrusion is positioned within the second hole when the roller is at the depressed position and the maximum angle, and the protrusion is positioned within the third hole when the roller is at the depressed position and the minimum angle. 
     
     
       9. The control of  claim 3 , wherein the sensor is a Hall Effect sensor. 
     
     
       10. The control of  claim 3 , wherein the sensor is configured to provide a rotation signal indicative of the rotational displacement of the roller based on the measured orientation of the magnetic field, and to provide a displacement signal indicative of the linear displacement of the roller based on the measured intensity of the magnetic field. 
     
     
       11. The control of  claim 10 , where the displacement signal is binary such that it indicates the roller is not depressed unless the measured intensity of the magnetic field is greater than a threshold, in which case it indicates that the roller is depressed.